Let’s stipulate a few things about cigarette smoking right off the bat.

It’s a filthy habit and a health hazard. But it’s also a legal vice, and while that be unsettling to those who would prefer to end all smoking, it’s a fact that has to be acknowledged.

The consideration of an outdoor smoking ban by Boulder’s City Council is an unacceptable attempt to circumvent personal liberty.

The council will meet Wednesday with representatives of downtown businesses to discuss an outdoor smoking ban that would apply to four blocks of the Pearl Street Mall, along with the County Courthouse lawn.

A downtown business association has conducted a survey of business owners and employees in the downtown area on the issue, and the results favor a smoking ban, according to a story in the Daily Camera.

Councilmember Tim Plass is quoted in the story as saying: “I think smoking on the mall doesn’t fit with our image.”

Others complain about cigarette butts littering the area and secondhand smoke.

First, if there is a problem with cigarette butts being discarded on the mall, authorities ought to enforce anti-littering laws.

As for secondhand smoke, if there are situations where people are concentrated and still, such as an outdoor dining area, we could see how one person’s cigarette smoke would infringe on non-smokers sitting nearby. In that case, a smoking ban would be appropriate.

However, the Boulder ban would prohibit even walking the mall with a lit cigarette. That goes too far.

While there is evidence that outdoor secondhand smoke can be harmful, it is dependent on proximity, length of exposure and whether people are moving.

A Boston University professor of public health argues persuasively that the scientific evidence isn’t there to support the assertion that even a stray whiff of smoke is a health threat. Michael Siegel says that in making that claim, anti-smoking forces undercut their credibility. And he is a firm proponent of indoor bans.

To be clear, anti-smoking advocates have fought and won important public health battles against smoking and have significantly reduced the incidence of smoking in the population.

More than two decades ago, cigarette smoking was banned on airplanes, and rightly so. In 2006, Colorado enacted an indoor smoking ban, barring smoking in almost all restaurants and bars. It was a good move.

The forces that have pushed back against this dangerous habit are to be commended. But we all must recognize there is a point at which an individual’s desire to engage in a legal activity must be respected even if it is unhealthy, unfashionable and distasteful.